supervision

Can anyone advise me please... I need to arrange a CCTV system for use in a recording studio. The idea is that two or more musicians would perform music while located in different rooms. In order to play "in sync" it helps if they have visual contact with one another -- that's what the CCTV is for. There's no need to record the video signal. Basically all I need is to simulate having a "window" between the rooms. However there is a requirement for low latency. The image appearing on the monitor must be Real Time or very close to it; there can't be any appreciable delay in reproducing what's in front of the camera. At a guess I'd say 30 or maybe 50 milliseconds would be a reasonable limit. NTSC video would be adequate, and -- being analog -- it sidesteps the latency issue. But I'd like to use flat-screen displays, to save space. Optionally it'd also be nice to have split screen capability (to show 2 or even 4 images on one monitor). Do I have to go digital to achieve this, or should I use a mix of analog & digital? There's so much equipment available, and latency usually isn't listed in the specifications! Suggestions appreciated -- thanks!

Okay, well this has certainly been helpful. Some of these issues I'll have to discuss with the client -- it's not my own studio that we're discussing. But somehow I volunteered to be the "consultant" and to look into this! Thanks again.

More good thoughts - excellent! It rings true what you say about a CRT providing a better image. Likewise about the noise issue (60 Hz magnetic interference) -- some common-sense practices will usually prevent that. Unfortunately there's one instance that'll always be problematic, and that's an electric guitar that uses single coil pickups. So avoiding the magnetic field is still an issue, although not of overriding concern. I'll have to educate myself a bit re: that multiplexor gizmo... I'm guessing there's some arrangement that allows all the cameras to use one common sync signal, but maybe it's actually buffering frames prior to display. BTW it's unlikely we'll need to have cameras or monitors in the Control Room... It's interesting to speculate on a system that's "got everything" but there's not much justification for equipping the Control Room I'm afraid!

Thanks - I wasn't even sure if NTSC cameras were still available! I have mixed feelings about using a TV as a monitor, although I appreciate the suggestion that I could save some cash. But it might be worth the price in order to avoid a CRT, which is bulky and emits 60 Hz magnetic interference that could be a nuisance in the Recording Studio setting. Do modern LCD televisions still have analog inputs? (Sorry if these seem like dumb questions -- I'm actually very knowledeable about electronics but I gave up watching TV decades ago!) Finally, what would it take to get 2 pictures on one LCD screen? Maybe it'd be more sensible just to use two screens... Thanks again!